Weather: 10.5° Partly cloudy. Southerlies.
River Flow: 23.5 Cumecs (m³/s)
It's been buzzing around town today with the Matariki weekend kicking off. Local volunteers did a fantastic job decorating the town yesterday afternoon in preparation for tonight's night market in the town centre. The shop has been busy as well, keeping Pete and me flat out all day.
We had another blustery night with cold temperatures, and we woke to a fresh dusting of snow along the Kaimanawa Ranges, which certainly justified the chill in the air today. The wind has been pestering anglers throughout the day and, unfortunately, doesn't look like it's going to ease properly by tomorrow morning.
Cam and Jonathan joined the many anglers on the Tongariro this morning and landed a good number of fish using two-handed gear. Several fish were taken on a conehead Bugger early on, but as the sun briefly peeked through, a smaller-profile Bugger seemed to do the trick.
We've been tying Slushies like mad in the shop to keep up with demand over the past few days. As mentioned in yesterday's report, Slushies have been producing well first thing in the morning before switching to a more natural pattern once the sun comes out.
With today's overcast conditions, the fish should have been less spooky, so egg patterns are expected to remain productive throughout the day and into tomorrow.
Yesterday, Kirsty and Ingrid headed out with Hamish for a day's fishing after their casting lessons with Peter and Sherrie the day before. It was a successful outing, with both of them landing their very first trout.
Hopefully they've both caught the bug and we'll see them back on the water again soon!
For those wondering, the shop will be open throughout the Matariki weekend during our usual trading hours, so you can stock up on everything you need before heading out on the water.
Tight lines, everyone!
~ Niamh (Bluey)